


lovely fools

by keelahselai



Category: Persona 4, Persona 5
Genre: Background Relationships, Established Relationship, Gen, Social Links, also this is just after kaneshiros palace, its akiryu not souyo thats established bc yosuke is still on his bullshit, yu is the fool confidant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-09-28
Packaged: 2019-01-03 18:43:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12152562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keelahselai/pseuds/keelahselai
Summary: Like many of his confidants, Akira stumbled into the Fool by pure chance in a craft store in Shibuya. On the flip side, Yu Narukami unwittingly finds out what it's like to be the subject of a social link.





	1. wild card

**Author's Note:**

> I MEAN COME TF ON ATLUS YU LITERALLY LIVES I N TOKYO  
> this is also sort of a fix it for the various beefs i got with atlus but only the ones that organically show up yknow  
> ALSO i hc yu to have gotten a growth spurt after p4 (akihiko was a third year in p3 and grew a few inches before arena so it's possible) so he's a Tall Boy now meanwhile yosuke is the same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira met the Fool by sheer accident

"I wonder if I have enough yen for all of this..." Akira mumbled, weighing the pros and cons of the differently colored papers on display in the craft store. Ryuji and Yusuke had asked him to buy more supplies for calling cards, but he couldn't just buy exactly what they needed just before leaving the card and leave without rousing suspicion. Especially not after stealing Kaneshiro's heart and becoming more popular than even after exposing Madarame and Kamoshida. So he was forced to buy not only paper in their signature red (props to Ryuji for palette choice, Akira was decidedly a fan of it) paper with a side of white and black paper for Yusuke to work his magic with, but also some soft blues and yellows in the same expensive stock as what he was really there for.

Even though he knew logically it was the best decision for not getting caught, that didn't stop Akira's wallet from crying at the price that rivaled Iwai's. As he shuffled to the back of the line behind some college kids arguing over something, he idly wondered if stealing the store owner's heart would bring prices down. 

"-partner, we can't keep doing this." The shorter of the pair in front of him said in a tired voice, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"It's Naoto and I, you don't have to be involved," the other said kindly.

"I'm involved when you spend an entire paycheck on corkboard for a literal investigation into the Phantom Thieves," the short one shot back. 

Akira perked up at that, like he always did when the Phantom Thieves were mentioned. He probably just looked like a meekly interested third party, piqued by the mention of the group. Hopefully. He always had to resist the urge to smirk the way the others always said he did when things got interesting in the metaverse, and was never really sure when he really hid his devilish reactions.

"It's not a waste; it's for work!" the taller one protested. He had silvery gray hair, standing a few inches taller than Akira. He was holding an armful of corkboard, yarn, and pushpins - surely to make connections trying to uncover their identities. Akira once again had to resist the urge to smirk; he'd never know the leader of the Phantom Thieves of Heart was standing so politely behind him in line at a craft store. 

"Besides," he added indignantly before his partner could respond, "Akechi-kun is heading that investigation himself and you know how Naoto is about him."

They knew Akechi? Any trace of a smile that may have escaped through Akira's facade was gone, leaving only apprehension. 

"So you think you two can figure it out on your own without the funding the whole police force has?"

The tall one's only response was to quirk an unimpressed eyebrow until the other groaned loudly and scrubbed a hand over his face. "You've got a good point," he grumbled, "I get we could all probably figure it out together, but we've all got our own stuff keeping us busy and I still don't like you spending all our money on this. Wait, actually-" he turned around to Akira, gesturing at the tall one. "You're in a Shujin uniform, you must be smart. He's wasting all our money on stuff to figure out the Phantom Thieves and while he's smart enough to catch them, it's still an entire paycheck. What do _you_ think?"

"Yosuke-" the other began, turning red.

Akira shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't see why there's a problem," he said to Yosuke's dismay. "Nobody's been able to crack them yet, so who's to say if your friend will or won't?"

A look of triumph lit up the gray-haired man's face and Yosuke groaned. "Just don't spend _all_ our money on the case," he relented, pointing a stern finger at him. "We still have to pay rent, remember?" 

Ignoring Yosuke, he turned to Akira. "Sorry he brought you into this," he said, embarrassed. "I appreciate the help though, he can be cranky when I do things without letting him know."

"Dude, you're 22." Yosuke gave him a shrewd look, bumping his shoulder with his to bring attention to the old lady in front of them who'd been chatting amicably with the cashier finally hobbling out of the store with her bag of craft supplies. "There's a difference between going out at night without a note and nearly getting us evicted for smuggling cats into our apartment."

Akira nodded in understanding at that. "I probably shouldn't have a cat where I live either, but I do anyway."

Yosuke looked stricken. "You're just an enabler!" he moaned, "We need to leave before you give him any more ideas - hurry up, partner!"

The tall one - Akira realized he didn't even know his name - turned to give him a quick smile as Yosuke practically pushed him out of the store after the far shorter checkout. "Thanks," he called, and Akira felt the now-familiar warm sensation in his chest that signified a new confidant had been met.

_Huh._

\---  
_I am thou, thou art I..._

_Thou hast acquired a new vow_

_It shall become the wings of freedom_

_that breaketh the chains of captivity_

_With the birth of the Fool Persona,_

_I have obtained the winds of blessing_

_that shall lead to freedom and new power..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jahshdjs i cant believe this hasnt been done yet  
> hmu @pandysa on tumblr!


	2. joker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira finds the Fool at Untouchable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> five purse owners walk into a gun store and they all walk out but only one has a gun
> 
> ALSO!! I DID NOT EXPECT THE RESPONSE THIS GOT! ive been losing my mind since i first posted this, thank you for all your support!

Akira felt like crying.

He'd just made back the yen he'd spent on paper when Iwai called, gruffly letting him know he has new things in stock Akira might want to check out before hanging up without a goodbye.

Sighing, he slung the bag Morgana practically lived in over his shoulder and trudged out of Leblanc, waving at Sojiro on his way to the city outside. Makoto had recently noted that their weapons seemed less and less effective against the shadows they faced too, with the other Phantoms agreeing with her. Akira's less mature side wanted to tell them to spend their own damn money on equipment, but he simply nodded and said he'd do what he could.

On the train to Shibuya, he wondered if Makoto would execute him is he'd talked back about equipment. She probably would. He scratched at the suddenly hot collar of his turtleneck, not sure if he was just sweaty because of the crowding on the subway or from thinking of how scary Makoto could be at times.

Ignoring Caroline's glare and impatient banging on the entrance to the Velvet Room, Akira walked on past the twins to enter Iwai's shop, futilely hoping his prices weren't _too_ steep, though it wasn't entirely out of the question. Half-asleep from his work in Mementos with Tsuda, he'd fumbled with his typically mysterious response when Iwai mentioned the sudden change of heart of the older man and felt Iwai's eyes on his back as he left the shop like he was trying to solve a puzzle. A rookie mistake that both Morgana and himself had chided him for; at least Iwai was a trustworthy confidant unlike... some others.

Just thinking about if Akechi found out his true identity gave him anxiety.

The dim, cool interior of Untouchable was refreshing against the still-sweltering heat of the city at night and Iwai, though dealing with an exceptionally beautiful customer who exuded the title of 'ice queen' even from where Akira was standing, gave a small nod of greeting.

He idly browsed the shop waiting for the customer to leave so he could speak with Iwai about the special menu, sifting through the different ammo types. Ann's current gun model didn't have the capacity her last one did - hopefully the new stock fixed that. The buzzer at the door went off, signalling the entrance of new customers. A twinge of irritation shot through Akira at that, despite himself. He'd noticed he'd grown a bit of a quiet ego after Madarame's change of heart, much to his chagrin. He couldn't help himself, honestly; with how Mishima practically worshiped him and the way some people talked about them on the news or in the streets... it was kind of intoxicating and his more rational side was irritated by it.

Chewing his lip, he took a container of airsoft pellets off the rack and stepped around to the other side to peruse the airsoft accessories while he continued to - patiently, damn it - wait his turn to speak with Iwai about his goods.

And instead of seeing the tacky, pixelated camo accessories he expected, Akira saw the man from the other day. "You," he said in surprise.

In equal surprise, the man looked up and almost immediately recognized him. "The craft store kid, right?"

Akira nodded, tightening his grip on his bag. "Yeah, how's your investigation going?" Internally, he laughed at himself for asking. It's not like anyone could possibly have any leads on them.

His lips turned up in an awkward smile. "I haven't really had a chance to start yet. I'm actually going out to dinner to discuss the case with my investigation partner, Detective Shirogane." He tilted his head toward the petite person standing near the woman, who had settled into a cold tirade on his less-than-adequate business practices. They perked up at mention of their name, giving Akira a polite smile.

"If we keep running into each other, I might as well introduce myself." Akira held out his hand. "Akira Kurusu."

"Yu Narukami," said the man, shaking his hand. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you think of the Phantom Thieves?"

Once again repressing that Joker urge, Akira smiled politely and adjusted his fake glasses. "They're real," he said decisively, "And I think they're just in what they do. Kamoshida and the others had it coming."

Yu nodded in solemn agreement. "I do believe they're real, but we don't know enough about them to see if they're just or not. I'm leaning to agree with you, though."

Detective Shirogane gave Akira a once-over. "You're awfully outspoken about the Phantom Thieves," they said in an amused voice. "What's a high schooler like you doing in a store like this?"

"My friend is an admin on the Phansite," he said sheepishly, "I guess some of his enthusiasm rubbed off on me." _He seriously needs to curb it, too, otherwise we might have a Palace of his own to deal with._ "And I'm fan of airsoft, plus working here part-time."

Shirogane's interest was piqued. "You work here? Would you mind answering some questions?"

He felt Iwai's eyes burning into the side of his head. "I only started working here recently; I only moved here from the countryside a few months ago. I don't think I'd be much help, sorry," he parroted. It wasn't entirely a lie, at least. Despite their questions on the business, the blue-haired detective didn't seem like they had their nose to the ground looking for any hint of wrongdoing on Iwai's part.

Shirogane chewed their lip. "I'm only here to double check any loose ends my underlings may have left. While I wait to speak to your manager," they cast a sidelong glance at the woman. She was gesturing vicariously behind the counter, majestic red curls cascading down her back and bouncing with her animated motions, and Iwai just looked visibly annoyed by that point. "I share the same view as my coworker here. We just don't have enough evidence in favor of the Phantom Thieves yet to be sure."

He chewed his lip in thought. He really should pick up some more of those minor change of heart operations in Mementos. Kamoshida, Madarame, and then changing Kaneshiro's heart clearly wasn't enough to prove they were acting in the right. AliBaba obviously wanted something from them, but if it was a change of heart or just blackmail, they refused to say yet. "I don't think I have more of an idea than many other people do," _Like Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Morgana, Mishima..._ "But I feel like they're doing good in society for sure."

Shirogane laughed at that. "I can't put my finger on why, but you remind me Yu when we were younger. He would-"

The woman arguing with Iwai abruptly spun on her heel and made to stride to the door, knocking Akira's shoulder on her way out. "Sorry," she said, business-like, sparing him an apologetic glance and half-smile that sharply contrasted with her blisteringly cold tone she'd spoken to his boss in.

"So gorgeous...!" Morgana gasped from his bag, probably peering through the open zipper.

She was already through the door by then, but Yu elbowed Shirogane's side. "I didn't know your voice could get that high, Naoto," he teased. "What would Kanji think?"

Face red, Shirogane whirled to face him and smacked his chest lightly. "It doesn't, and I didn't!" they stammered. Adjusting their hat nervously, they added, "Besides, he'd act the same if he were here."

Akira couldn't help but smile at the flustered look on the detective, and at Yu's deadpan face struggling to not crack a grin. It was clear they'd been friends for a long time, and what he'd seen of their easy friendship was just... nice.

Yu's face turned more serious. "I still think we should get the team back together for this one, the circumstances are too odd to be anything else," he said to them quietly, Naoto nodding in pensive agreement as they cleared their throat and collected themself before excusing themself to talk to Iwai, who audibly groaned at the inevitable second questioning. Then, to Akira, he said, "You mentioned knowing the Phansite admin, right? Would you mind if you could arrange a meeting to just talk about the Phantom Thieves?"

 _Sorry Mishima, this is_ my _confidant._ "He's too busy with running the site these days to do much else, but I'd be able to chat at LeBlanc in Yongen-Jaya whenever you'd like to meet up." Not technically a lie about Mishima being busy. The poor guy was running himself into the ground over the Phansite. "I might not run the site, but I _am_ close friends with him and could have some insight."

"That would work great, thank you." Yu pulled his phone out of his pocket, handing it to him. "Add your number and I'll get back to you some other time."

He began typing in his contact information, pausing at a banner notification that flashed across the top of the screen.

> **Partner ❤**  
>  _> after dinner w naoto cna u pick up sm milk n ramen pls n ty_

"Your partner says to get milk and ramen," Akira relayed, typing in the last few digits of his number before handing the phone back.

"He's just blind; I just put my groceries away where they're supposed to be instead of leaving the bags out all day like a certain someone," Yu informed him, shooting back a response text before sliding his phone back in his pocket. "I'll be seeing you later then?"

Akira nodded. Detective Shirogane had stepped away from the counter, bidding Iwai a good night. "I'll probably be working whenever you come in, but it's never busy enough to not be able to talk while I work."

"Two jobs?" Yu asked. Akira gestured vaguely upward. "More? Naoto was right when they said we're similiar; I had a lot of different jobs in high school, too."

"Ready to get going?" Detective Shirogane asked Yu, who nodded. "It was nice to meet you, Kurusu-kun," they said as the pair made to leave, with Yu echoing the sentiment.

After the door closed, he was left in a moment of silence. "I hope you're not in a chatty mood tonight, either. Might have to fire you," said Iwai gruffly.

Akira simply shrugged, mind racing. Something from that conversation bugged him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what.

It wasn't until he and Morgana returned home that he realized Yu and Naoto had heard Morgana speak.

He'd have to keep an eye on the man when they met again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all my headcanons are crossovers ffs like.. i hc yu went to middle school on tatsumi port island and also that akira's from inaba
> 
> psst psst also im @pandysa on tumblr give me a shout if u want


End file.
